Advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Tigray
Tigray Disability Organizations Union (TDOU) is the regional umbrella union for Organizations of Persons with Disabilities. We coordinate, advocate, and build capacity so that persons with disabilities are included in humanitarian response, justice, recovery, and development.
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A group of participants pose indoors at Zemarias Hotel during a disability rights capacity-building training session in Mekelle. The banner identifies the event as a two-day training on Ethiopia’s electoral law and the UNCRPD, focused on political representation of persons with disabilities in state and district councils.
Who We Are
TDOU represents broad number of member Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and numerous zonal and district-level branches across Tigray. The Union provides a coordinated platform for disability rights advocacy, institutional capacity building, and inclusive development.
TDOU works with member OPDs, government institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners to ensure that persons with disabilities are not treated as an afterthought in public policy, service delivery, humanitarian response, or reconstruction.
Learn more about TDOU
Gebrekidan Hadush, Executive Director, TDOU
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A middle-aged man with brown skin and a short-cropped hairstyle, wearing dark square-shaped aviator sunglasses and a thin mustache. He is dressed in a light-grey suit jacket over a white and grey vertically striped button-down dress shirt, seated in a grey fabric office chair behind a dark desk. A black Dell computer monitor is positioned to his left. The background is a plain light-beige wall.
“Inclusion is not an option but a principle that everyone should adhere to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities.”
— Gebrekidan Hadush
Executive Director, TDOU
Our Focus Areas
TDOU works across five interconnected areas to advance the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Tigray.
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Human Rights and Transitional Justice
TDOU supports the participation of persons with disabilities in human rights and transitional justice processes, including advocacy for disability-disaggregated documentation of violations and experiences during the conflict.
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IDP Protection and Humanitarian Inclusion
TDOU works to address the exclusion of persons with disabilities in IDP centers, including gaps in emergency distribution, protection services, and accessible support.
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OPD Capacity Building
TDOU strengthens member organizations through training, organizational capacity assessment, leadership development, and support on program management, UNCRPD, electoral laws, human rights, and transitional justice.
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Inclusive Livelihoods and Services
TDOU promotes disability inclusion in livelihood, vocational training, microfinance, education, health, psychosocial support, and community services.
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Strategic Partnerships
TDOU works with local, national, and international partners to strengthen disability-inclusive policy, programs, and services across Tigray.
Our Track Record
- Growing representation of member OPDs across Tigray
- Coordinating a network of over 150 OPD-affiliated zonal and district-level offices
- Organizational Capacity Assessment conducted with member OPDs
- Capacity-building training delivered on leadership, program management, UNCRPD, electoral laws, human rights, and transitional justice
- International Disability Day events, workshops, and awareness campaigns organized
- Disability-inclusive IDP protection and humanitarian advocacy advanced across Tigray
Partners and Collaboration
TDOU works with member OPDs, civil society actors, government institutions, and development partners to advance disability inclusion in Tigray.
- Disability Rights Fund / Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRF/DRAF)
- European Union Civil Society Fund Plus (EU CSF+)
- Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD)
- Ethiopian Human Rights Commission / CSO Coordination Platform
- Member OPDs across Tigray
TDOU has been nominated by DRF as a partner candidate for the NORAD Global Fund.
News and Events
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TDOU Builds Capacity of Member OPDs on Leadership, UNCRPD, and Human Rights
Tigray Disability Organizations Union (TDOU) has continued its work to strengthen the capacity of member Organizations of Persons with Disabilities…
Work with us toward an inclusive Tigray
Partner with TDOU to strengthen disability rights, inclusive services, and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities across Tigray.
Participants gather for a group photo during a leadership training and advocacy workshop focused on disability inclusion.
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A medium-wide shot captures a group of about 15 individuals posing together indoors against a wooden paneled wall and a white presentation screen. The participants are arranged in two informal rows:
- Back/Standing Row: A diverse mix of men and women dressed in casual and smart-casual attire. On the left, a woman wears a traditional white netela scarf, and next to her, a man in sunglasses holds a white cane. In the centre, a man in a light blue button-down shirt stands prominently. To the far right, an older woman stands wearing a plaid shirt and a vibrant yellow and black patterned skirt.
- Front/Seated Row: A man in a black shirt sits holding crutches, smiling next to a woman in a cream dress and black cardigan who is making a hand gesture. Beside them, another woman in a white dress and headscarf sits smiling.
In the foreground, a round table covered with a brown cloth holds a white projector and a laptop, while a small table to the right holds plastic water bottles, indicating a workshop or seminar setting.